Moms demand gun ban at Staples stores

FRAMINGHAM - After a North Carolina woman accidentally shot herself in the hand while shopping at Staples with her 2-year-old son last summer, moms across the country are now demanding that the Framingham-based office supplies chain ban guns from its stores.

The advocacy group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is set to deliver a petition to the company's headquarters this morning with more than 12,000 signatures.

Ann Krantz, communications lead for the group's Massachusetts chapter, said women from all over the country signed on after the North Carolina shooting.

"We felt it was really a wakeup call to moms that shop at Staples that our kids are not safe while they're allowing guns in their stores," Krantz said Monday.

While Massachusetts may have strict gun laws, under its corporate policy, Staples stores adhere to regulations that vary from state to state, Krantz said. The group wants a nationwide policy to prohibit firearms in all stores.

Trying to engage the company in a conversation, Moms Demand Action has reached out to Staples' CEO, asking for a meeting, Krantz said.

"As of now, they haven't returned our calls," she said.

In an email Monday, company spokesman Mark Cautela said only that Staples follows all federal, state and local laws on guns.

This is Moms Demand Action's second national campaign. For the first, the group says it successfully persuaded Starbucks to prohibit guns from its stores and cafes.

"We're being very thoughtful about our national campaigns," Krantz said. "We're moms and we're really focusing on places that we're likely to be and shop with our kids. The safety of our kids is what's driving us."

Krantz, who lives in Wenham, said mothers from Framingham, Natick and other MetroWest towns belong to the group's Massachusetts chapter.

The group is also urging Facebook and Instagram to prohibit gun sales on their sites.

Danielle Ameden can be reached at 508-626-4416 or dameden@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @damedenMW.